Bending railroad-rails



(No Model.)

R. FAGAN.

- BENDING RAILROAD RAILS.

.N0 .'251,563. Patented Dec. 27,1881.

wmmssns INVENTOR W76 BY g ATTORNEYS- N PETERS. FhuwLimo n ner. Washington. D. c.

Unite TATES PATENT Farce.

ROBERT FAGAN, OF HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

BENDING RAILROAD-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,563, dated December 27, 1881. Application filed August 27, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT FAGAN, of Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Device for Bending Railroad-Rails, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention consists of a bar of iron of suitable size carrying a screw at one end, said bar being adapted to be yoked to the rail in such manner that the portion of the bar beyond the yoke will term the short arm of a lever, the end through which the screw passes being the long arm of the lever, the end of the screw, when the device is attached to the rail, being adapted to rest upon the rail for operating the lever and bending the rail.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of myinvention, representing the device attached to the rail for bending it upward. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 8 is an end elevation, showing the device applied for bending the .rail downward or toward its base; and Fig. 4 is a detailed view, showing the manner of attaching the device tothe side of the rail.

In the drawings, A represents the bar or lever, which is curved downward at its forward end, so as to rest upon the rail 0; and B represents the screw, which passes through the rear end of the bar or lever, as shown. Upon the sides of the bar or lever are secured, by means of the bolt a, the side plates, d d, which are formed with the slots 0 0 near their lower ends, through which the wedge-shaped keyD is adapted to pass for yoking the bar or lever to the rail, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3; and upon one side of the bar or lever, near the center thereof, is secured the guide-plate F, which is adapted to rest against the side ofthe rail, as shown in Fig. 1, for guiding the movement of the long arm of the lever.

In order that the lower end of the screw will not injure the rail when it is turned by the lever or wrench L for bending the rail, I provide the shield k, which fits upon the rail and rests under the end of the screw and protects the rail from the point of the screw. This shield is not needed when the rail is to be bent sidewise, as shown in Fig. 4, or toward its base, as shown in Fig. 3.

Any form of hand-lever or wrench may be used with this bending device; but to make the tool more complete and convenient I prefer to construct the lever with the elongated opening or slotf, which engages with the head of the screw and permanently connects the screw and wrench together. Above the extension-plate f, through which the slot is made, are formed the prongs i i of the wrench, which engage the square faces of the head of the bolt for turningthe same when the wrench is moved forward to the position shown in Fig. 2, but which disengage the head of the screw when the wrench is drawn. back, thus leaving the wrench free to be moved in either direction for taking a new hold upon the screw, or for any other purpose.

This device may be applied, as above mentioned, either to the sides or to the top or bottom of the rails for bendin g them in either direction, as circumstances may require, so that the device is useful for straightening as well as bending or curving the rails; and the rails may be curved or straightened while a part of the rail is spiked to the ties without drawing the spikes or displacing the rail.

When the device is attached for bending the rail sidewise the key D should be placed with its widest end toward the tread of the rail, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the lower edge of it will furnish a straight parallel surface for the side plates to draw against.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The bar A, having its forward end curved downward, and provided with the slotted side plates, (1, in combination with the screw B and the key D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The hand-lever L, formed with the slot f, and the wrench-pron gs it, in combination with the screw B, bar or lever A, and side plates, d d, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The lever or bar A, in combination with hand-lever orwreneh L, key D, and guideplate the screw 13, slotted plates (1 d, and the guide- F, substantially as and for the purposes set; plate F, substantially as and for the purposes forth.

set forth. ROBERT FAGAN.

4:. The rail-bending device herein shown and "Witnesses:

described, consisting of the bent bar or lever THOMAS KEARNEY,

A, slotted side plates, (1 d, screw B, sliding JOHN THINDBACH. 

